Welcome

More than 1,000 design and computer science students from 150 universities in 30 countries will be participating this weekend in the largest-ever student data visualization competition, hosted by Visualizing.org and sponsored by GE and Google.

Challenges

Around 90% of the data in the world today has been created in just the last two years. Not only are we producing more data than ever before — 2.5 quintillion bytes every day — we’re generating entirely new types of data from sources like social media, sensor networks, digital health records, electronic trading, and smart grids. Design is how we interface with all this data — and it’s helping us better understand the systems that make up the world, generate new knowledge about ourselves, our cities, and our planet, and support better decision-making across all levels of society.

The three challenges in front of you reflect three unique attributes of the data revolution: Real-Time, Big, and Social.

Real-Time: The velocity at which we now capture data — from sensor networks or search engines, for example — allows us to monitor systems in real-time and intervene before it’s too late. Challenge #1 is about the design of real-time information.

Big: The volume of data we now generate is unprecedented. Making sense of Big Data is no small task — relying on science, design, and technology. Challenge #2 is about using the scale of a data set to visualize an entire system in all its complexity — without allowing this complexity to overpower your design.

Social: Within the “exhaust” we leave behind when using social media and mobile phones is a treasure trove of new insights about human behavior, the flow of information, and the structure of society. Challenge #3 is about using this new type of data to reveal how society reacted to a major world event.

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